sister to sister (heart to heart)
by AtLoLevad
Summary: Oliver and Felicity's daughter isn't so sure she really wants to be a big sister. In comes Aunt Laurel to save the day. ONESHOT


Laurel Lance wasn't exactly thrilled to have to cancel her date with that Central City lawyer, but hey, duty calls.

And honestly, she can't deny that she felt a little thrill of excitement when Oliver had called to tell her that Felicity was in labor and should she mind watching Willa because Felicity had asked specifically for her to do it?

And then once the thrill wore off, Laurel was full of anxiety, because despite Willa being 5-years-old, Laurel had never spent an extended period of time with the girl, one-on-one.

"Oliver, I promise we'll be fine," Laurel tried to smile reassuringly at her ex, "Felicity is waiting, call me when the baby is born?"

Oliver nodded, a mild look of panic on his face, "I will. Willa, be good for Auntie Laurel."

The little girl nodded, "Okie-dokie, Daddy!"

He knelt down and kissed his daughter's cheeks a dozen times before running off down the steps.

Laurel shut the door to Oliver and Felicity's townhouse behind him and locked the three bolts.

Willa had already skipped into the living room and dropped herself onto the carpet and in front of the coffee table.

"Hey, Willa," Laurel said, leaning on the doorframe, "Do you want dinner?"

Willa crinkled her little nose, "Can I have 'roni and cheese? Mommy said I could."

Laurel smiled softly, "Sure. Do you want to help me or do you want to hang in here and color?"

Willa studied Laurel with navy blue eyes that were identical to her father's, "Okay."

She smiled and jumped up, reaching out to grab onto Laurel's hand, "This way to the kitchen!"

Laurel laughed under her breath and resister the urge to tell Willa that she knew where the kitchen was.

* * *

><p>An hour and a half later, Laurel was putting the creamy dinner into bowls and pouring milk into a cup with Disney Princesses on it.<p>

"Mmm," Willa grinned around a mouthful of macaroni, "It's good, Auntie Laurel!"

Laurel smiled, "Thanks, Willa. But it's only good because you helped."

"I am a pretty good helper, huh?" Willa giggled, sending little bits of macaroni flying onto the table.

Laurel winced and wiped the mess up with her napkin.

"Can I watch _Frozen_ now?" Willa asked, holding up her bowl, "I finished all of my dinner."

Laurel nodded, "Sure, do you know how to put the movie on?"

Willa gave Laurel a look that said 'Really? You do know who my mother is, right?'

"Of course you do," Laurel shook her head, "Go ahead, sweetheart."

Willa climbed off her chair and ran into the living room. A few seconds later, Laurel could hear the familiar music.

She cleaned up the dinner dishes and grabbed her phone and a few open case files before settling herself onto the couch.

Willa sang along with the movie and colored in her matching coloring book. Laurel only half-paid attention to the movie that she had seen a dozen times already.

Laurel highlighted a date and time that could be important to her case, tongue planted firmly in between her lips.

"Aunt Laurel? Is Mommy gonna die?" Willa asked a few minutes later.

'What?" Laurel spluttered, her usually calm exterior breaking, "Who said that? Why would you even think that, Willa?"

She dropped the case files to the floor and slid off the couch to kneel next to the little girl.

Willa chewed nervously on her lower lip, big blue eye welling with tears, "Blake Grayson's grandma went to the hospital and then she died!"

Laurel's eyes widened in understanding, "Oh gosh, honey, no. Your Mom isn't going to die. She went to the hospital to have your new baby sister."

Willa's lower lip trembled and fat tears rolled down her cheeks, "Promise?"

She crawled over to Laurel and climbed up into her lap, clutching her T-shirt in a tiny fist.

Laurel rubbed her back, "I promise. You'll see, soon your dad will call and I can take you too see your mom and the baby."

Willa crinkled her brow and pressed her face into Laurel's chest, "Can't we give someone else the baby? I just want Mommy to love me most."

Laurel laughed lightly and gave Willa a squeeze, "You'll change your mind soon enough. Why don't we color some pictures for your mom and the baby and I'll tell you a story?"

Willa wiped her hand under her nose and perked up, "I like stories."

"I know," Laurel laughed, "This one is a good one."

* * *

><p>"So, you know your Aunt Sara?" Laurel started, putting a small pile of blank computer paper in front of Willa.<p>

"Yeah," Willa grinned, "She's cool! She and Aunt Nyssa bringed me a dress once."

Laurel smiled, "They sure did. But did you know that Aunt Sara is my younger sister?"

Willa's eyebrows shot up, "Aunt Sara's your sister?"

Laurel nodded, picking up a peach colored crayon, "Mhmm, she's two years younger than me."

Willa studied her aunt, "Does that mean you're the boss of her?"

Laurel let out a loud laugh, "Honey, Auntie Sara doesn't have a boss. She makes her own rules."

"Can I make my own rules too?" Willa giggled, jumping up and doing a little dance.

"I don't think your mom and dad would like that," Laurel grinned, carefully selecting a different crayon.

"But I wanna be like Aunt Sara!" Willa planted her hands on her hips.

Laurel tried not to feel bad about that. Sara was much cooler and since Willa only saw her every once in a while, it was natural that there was an air of mystery and coolness surrounding her younger sister.

"Aunt Sara is pretty cool," Laurel smiled.

"Did you want to send Aunt Sara back when Gramps and Aunt Dinah bringed her home?" Willa asked her question shyly, as if she was expecting Laurel to say that she had loved Sara from the beginning and the Willa was a terrible person for wanting to send her baby sister away.

"Let me tell you a secret," Laurel leaned in close, waiting for Willa to do the same, "When my mom and dad brought Aunt Sara home, I pinched her and cried because I thought they would love her more."

Willa's eyes widened because _yes, finally someone understood what she was feeling!_

"Didja get in trouble?" the tiny blonde asked, leaning her chin in the palm of her hand.

Laurel shook her head, "No, but don't pinch your sister when she comes. It's not exactly nice."

Willa huffed out a breath, "Fine, but I'm still not gonna like her."

"How do you know that? Aunt Sara and I are best friends," _Now_, Laurel added under her breath, pushing all of those years of estrangement and anger and resentment from her mind.

Willa regarded Laurel with a skeptical look.

Laurel laughed, "Really! I promise, we get along very well."

Willa looked down at her drawing, "Should I draw Mommy a picture of me and the baby?"

Laurel grinned at her, "I think she'd like that."

Willa grabbed a crayon and looked at the picture Laurel had drawn, "I like your picture, Aunt Laurel."

Laurel looked down at the picture she had drawn. Two blonde girls standing side by side, one in black leather and the other in a pantsuit.

She smiled; it was a nice picture.

* * *

><p>Laurel jolted awake hours later when the phone rang.<p>

"Hello?" she mumbled into the receiver, covering her mouth with her fist to smother a yawn.

"Laurel?" Oliver's voice was quiet, but happy, "She's here. The baby's here."

Laurel sat up fully and grinned, "Oh my god! Congratulations! Ollie, I'm so happy for you."

Laurel could hear the pride in Oliver's voice through the phone, "I know it's early…"

Laurel looked at the cable box, 6:15, not overly early by her standards.

"But visiting hours start at 9," Oliver was still saying in her ear, "Can you bring Wills over?"

"Of course!" Laurel exclaimed, "I'll feed her and bring her over."

"Thank you, Laurel," Oliver said, "Call me when you get here and I'll bring you both up."

Laurel said that she would, told Oliver to give her congratulations to Felicity and hung up, closing her eyes for a little more sleep.

But her eyes opened a few seconds later. She was awake now and there was no hope for more sleep.

Her gaze drifted to the pile of colorful drawings strewn on the coffee table. Willa had really gone to town, drawing pictures of herself with every member of the weird little Arrow family that they had formed, and then adding a few more that showed a vague little blob in crayon Felicity's arms that Willa had explained as her new baby sister.

Laurel's eyes landed on the picture she had drawn. In addition to the two blonde girls, she had added in her father and mother, one on each side. And off in the corner was a drawing meant to be Tommy. God, did she miss him. Every day was like losing him all over again.

She wiped a tear she hadn't even realized was falling and pushed herself into a sitting position.

_Not today_, she told herself, _Today is supposed to be happy._

Another look at the clock told her it was almost 6:45. Laurel figured she could get up and start making breakfast for herself and Willa. Starling General was only a few minutes from Ollie and Felicity's townhouse, ("Oliver! It's practical, god knows how many times we're going to need the ER" "Felicity, I can't exactly walk into the ER wearing my leathers and with a bullet hole in my arm." "I would listen to her, man. She's getting that look in her eyes.") so there was no reason to leave early.

Laurel began whipping up some pancakes and bacon, adding chocolate chips to the batter since it was a special occasion.

Laurel was almost done cooking the pancakes when she heard tiny footsteps coming down the hall.

"Aunt Laurel?" Willa stood in the doorway, one hand rubbing at her eyes and the other clutching a ratty stuffed canary.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Laurel asked, abandoning her pancakes and moving around the island to lift Willa onto her hip.

"I smell chocolate," the little girl yawned.

Laurel laughed, "You sure do. Chocolate chip pancakes for the big sister."

That seemed to wake Willa up," Huh? 'M a big sister?"

Laurel nodded, "Sure are. Your dad just called a little bit ago. We're going to visit your mom and sister at 9 o'clock."

"Oh," Willa breathed and tucked her face against Laurel's neck, mumbling, "I don't know if I want to."

Laurel cocked her head, "Why not? I thought you were excited to be a big sister?"

She carefully flipped the remaining few pancakes onto the plate and turned off the burner.

"I dunno," Willa shrugged, "I think I might want it to just be me."

"I know how you feel, sweetheart," Laurel gave the girl a tight squeeze, "But being a big sister is the best thing in the world. You're going to have an instant best friend and you're going to get tot teach her everything you know."

Willa sighed, "Even how to count to ten?"

"Even how to count to ten," Laurel agreed, "Now how about we sit down to some breakfast and you can tell me all of the other things you'll teach your sister."

* * *

><p>Laurel parked her car in the visitor lot at Starling General and looked back at Willa in the rearview mirror.<p>

The little girl that looked so much like Oliver looked like she was going to be sick.

"Hey, Willa," Laurel said as she opened the backdoor, "Everything is going to be fine. I promise."

Willa crinkled her nose, a habit that was all Felicity," Is the baby gonna like my present?"

She brandished the pastel pink gift bag that Laurel knew contained a onesie with a robot on it. Willa had made a beeline for it when they had went to the baby store in town, exclaiming that Mommy loved computers and robots were almost like computers so the baby would like it too.

"She's going to love it, Willa," Laurel unbuckled the car seat, "Want to walk in or should I carry you?"

"Can you carry me?" Willa asked in a tiny voice, chewing desperately on her lower lip.

Laurel smiled softly, "Sure. Come on."

She lifted Willa onto her hip and let the girl's head fall against her neck.

"If the baby likes robots then I guess I can like her," Willa said while they waited for Oliver in the lobby.

"What if she doesn't like robots?" Laurel asked.

Willa sighed, "Then we'll see."

Laurel laughed to herself and then winced when Willa shrieked, "DADDY!" right in her ear.

Sure enough, Oliver was coming down the hallway, a broad grin on his face despite the dark circles under his eyes.

"Wills!" he called, laughing when Willa shimmed her way out of Laurel's grip and ran, full-tilt, at him.

He caught her in his arms and swung her in a circle before planting a big kiss on her cheek. She giggled, "I misseded you, daddy!"

"I missed you too, bug. But I had to help Mommy bring your baby sister, " he said, pressing another kiss to her forehead.

"Congratulations, Ollie," Laurel smiled warmly and accepted the one armed hug he offered.

"Thanks, Laurel. And thank you for watching her," he bounced Willa in his arms, "

Felicity and I really appreciate it."

"It was my pleasure," Laurel poked Willa in the side, "We had a good time."

"Sure did, Daddy!" Willa piped up, "We maded 'roni and cheeses."

"Sounds great," Oliver said, "How about we go see Mommy and the baby and you can tell us both what you did with Aunt Laurel last night?"

"Okay," Willa agreed, one hand gripping tightly to the gift bag.

* * *

><p>"Mommy!' Willa shouted as soon as she saw Felicity.<p>

Felicity grinned and her eyes sparked when Oliver deposited Willa next to her on the bed, "Lovebug, I missed you!"

"I misseded you too, mommy," Willa said, snuggling close to Felicity's side and practically purring when Felicity ran her hand through Willa's dark blonde curls.

"Did you have a good time with Aunt Laurel?" Felicity asked, looking up and mouthing 'thank you' at Laurel. Laurel smiled back and mouthed, 'no problem.'

"Uh huh," Willa nodded, "We even gotted a present for the baby."

Felicity's eyes teared up and her voice wavered as she said, "Oh, that's so sweet. How about Daddy gets the baby and you can give it to her?"

Oliver was out the door before Felicity had even finished her sentence.

Laurel took a seat in the spare chair, "You look good, Felicity."

Felicity laughed, "I look terrible, but thank you for attempting to make me feel better."

Laurel smiled back, "No, I mean it. You really have that new mom glow."

Willa patted her mom's face, "I think it's sweat, Aunt Laurel."

Laurel laughed as Felicity groaned, "Come on, baby. Give Mommy a break."

Oliver wheeled a plastic bassinet in a few seconds later, sparing Felicity from anymore truths about her appearance.

"Lovebug," Felicity nudged Willa, "Check it out. Daddy has your new sister."

Willa whipped her head around and stared at the baby in Oliver's arms.

"So, what do you think?" Oliver asked.

"She's kinda wrinkly," Willa said, "Like my clothes 'fore Mommy fixes 'em."

Felicity laughed, "Yeah, she is a little wrinkly. But you were too when you were born."

"Really?" Willa asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah," Oliver agreed, "And you cried a lot."

"Oh," Willa said, processing this new information, "I hope she doesn't cry a lot."

"What's her name, Ollie?" Laurel asked, standing up to get a better glimpse of the baby.

"Evelyn Claire," Felicity supplied, "Evie for short."

"She's beautiful," Laurel said, tearing up a little.

"She really is," Oliver said, "Want to hold her, Wills?"

Willa wiggled her nose a little before nodding, "Okay."

Felicity helped the five-year-old shift back so she was in a better position to hold the baby and the Oliver carefully placed Evie in Willa's arms.

Willa started down at her baby sister, memorizing her tiny features. Laurel and Oliver both pulled out their phones to take pictures.

"Aunt Laurel?" Willa looked up after a minute.

"Yes, sweetie?" Laurel said, closing the camera app on her phone.

"I think I'll like her even if she doesn't like robots."

Laurel grinned at the confused looks on Oliver and Felicity's faces, and after promising to explain what that meant to them later, she said, "I told you being a big sister was the best job in the world."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Just two more weeks until Arrow season 3 you guys! I'm so excited. And in hour of that, I wrote fic. **

**This is my first time writing Laurel, so I really hope I did her justice. I'm excited to see more of Laurel next season, and I can't' wait for them to expand her character a little bit. The hate she gets is so unfair. **

**So, um basically, please review and tell me what you think =)**


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